The NFL's four-month player lockout suspended all personnel operations except for the rookie draft—signings, trades, all of it. With labor peace declared today, that process will be condensed down to a hectic few weeks, and can dramatically reshape the rosters in Madden NFL 12.

By way of that video, and a "Free Agent Forecast" web feature, EA Sports is sending the message they're on top of things. Madden NFL 12 is probably close to gold master right now, with its base roster already finaled, and even if it isn't, it's highly unlikely that all of the personnel moves to come would finish in time to make it on the disc.

Add to that the fact that the release date was moved to one week before the NFL's opening week, shortening the window for preseason roster support, and that makes Madden's first roster update of even greater importance. So the "Free Agent Forecast," where you can see players in the uniform of their potential next team, will have to do for now. But it does communicate that the game's developers are watching this as closely as their fans are.